> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.roboflow.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.roboflow.com/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration.md).

# Configuration

Configure, secure, and monitor a self-hosted Roboflow Inference server - container options, environment variables, HTTPS, input formats, and metrics.

An Inference Server started with `inference server start` publishes port 9001 on host loopback by default, except for Jetson images and tunnel launches. Custom Python remains available locally, and authentication is opt-in. Start with [server security](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/security.md) to choose who can reach the server, then configure the features your application needs.

You do not need any of this to run your first model. Come back here when you want to expose the server to other machines, run it in production, pin its resource usage, or watch how it behaves under load.

## Tune the container

* [Docker Configuration Options](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/docker-configuration.md) - ports, CORS, worker counts, NMS defaults, model cache, and the Secure Gateway.
* [Inference Server Environment Variables](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/environment-variables.md): commonly used variables, grouped by area.
* [Video Configuration](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/video-configuration.md): managed pipeline limits, warm workers, and media references.

## Harden the server

* [Securing a Self-Hosted Server](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/security.md): local defaults, network access, authentication, and observability.
* [Security Configuration Migration](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/security-migration.md): release scope, changed defaults, and upgrade actions.
* [Model Package Security](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/model-security.md): per-model authorization, local packages, and package trust.
* [Serving Inference over HTTPS](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/https.md) - terminate TLS with your own certificate, use encrypted keys, and require mutual TLS.
* [Accepted Input Formats](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/input-formats.md) - which payload types the server accepts, and how to disable the riskier ones such as pickled numpy arrays and URL image fetching.

## Watch it run

* [Inference Server Telemetry](/deployment/self-hosted/inference-server/configuration/telemetry.md) - Prometheus metrics and Docker container statistics for a running server.

{% hint style="info" %}
Configuring the [Inference CLI and SDK](https://docs.roboflow.com/reference/environment-variables) is separate from configuring the server. The variables on these pages are read by the server process inside the container.
{% endhint %}